...rhombusoid?

For the past 6 months I have, randomly, been receiving a certain magazine. I never subscribed or even really glanced at this magazine in my life. When I was little my parents let me subscribe to the Disney magazine. My roommate subscribes to a lot of magazines. I sometimes read Oprah's magazine. I want to subscribe to The Week magazine. I'm guessing someone is trying to tell me something with this magazine.

...Portland Day 4 & 5

Well...I'm currently sitting in my bed located in Dallas, Tx. YUP! I'm home. To quickly wrap up my trip...

Day 4: Thanksgiving!!

Mark, Kristy, and I went over to their family's house for dinner. It was nice to meet their family and friends. It was a quaint dinner with sweet people and great food! We came home tired, so we slipped in our PJs, made some cookies & tea, and watched the Simpson's movie. Did you know that the Simpsons was actually written in Portland? A few of the characters are named from Portland streets!!!!! As a Simpsons aficionado (I used the thesaurus for that one) I was thoroughly excited to learn this new and random fact!! :)

Day 5: It was really a half day...

Kristy took me into town for one last hoorah! We hit up a few craft shops that carry local artists' products. I love that Portland supports the local arts. I even got myself a passport holder made from an old map! SUPER CUTE! From shopping we went to the street's food carts and dug around our purses for cash to get some lunch. (We spent about 15min walking to each cart asking if they took plastic. We quickly figured out no one did.) Kristy and I split some exquisite thai food, in the rain. (Well...sitting in a covered area from the rain.)

We jumped back on the train to head home. Kristy, kindly, drove me to the airport in which I flew home. It was a great trip overall! I loved hanging with the Alperts and getting to know Portland. It's a GREAT city to be in!!! I really wanna check it out in the spring. Kristy was telling me that spring/summer is when everyone is out hiking, beach bumming it, and exploring the great outdoors. Late fall/winter is when everyone hibernates at home and in coffee shops. So, anyone game for joining me in the spring?????

...Portland Day 3...part deux.

After rushing home from our fabulous spa adventure we quickly threw on some nightlife clothing and jumped on the train. Once we hit downtown we quickly made our way to Darcelle's which is Portland's local Drag Queen!!!

Darcelle turned 80 a few weeks ago, so I'm gonna let these pictures do the talking for me.

And now, for the pièce de résistance...

From Darcelle's we hit up a karaoke and dance bar. To say the least it was an entertaining night!!

...Portland Day 3...part uno.

Writers and bloggers of the world...I don't know how you do this everyday! It's kind of stressful trying to be entertaining through writing. Here's hoping I keep you engaged!!

Kristy and I started our Wednesday with a late breakfast at Stepping Stone Cafe; which was delish with great atmosphere and service!!! Oh, and they had EXCELLENT music playing the whole time! Two thumbs up, most def!!

Did I mention Kristy got their infamous pancakes?

They're stinkin' HUGE!!! This one was pumpkin....Mmmm....

After eating we headed out to Multnomah Falls, where we were in for a total surprise!!! We pulled up to the falls and were instantly in awe of the beauty!!! The mist of the falls created these beautiful icicles everywhere!!

This is looking up...the pictures don't do it justice.

We walked around to where the actual water fall is and were stunned at the partially frozen waterfall before us!

All the white is FROZEN water AKA ice. It was such a beautiful sight...makes you realize this universe wasn't created from a big bang. There was purpose, creativity, and thought put into our place of residence. (I'm thankful for that.)

We hopped back in the car to our next destination when we stumbled upon another gushing waterfall!

After our exploration victories we realized we weren't far from Bonneville's hot springs. We called the local spa resort and decided to enter Washington state for dip in the hot springs!

We arrived at the spa only to realize we didn't have swim wear, but were willing to skinny dip. BUT that idea was busted cuz of kids...they ruin everything! (JK kid owners!) We were informed of private baths that ended in a body wrap! We totally signed up for this treatment!! We picked our bath treatment, got our choice of tea or cider, and spent about 20 minutes soaking in an amazingly hot mineral bath. (It also included grapes and our own carafe of water and lemon! We're fancy!)

After an hour of pampering we showered, dressed, and headed back to Portland for our night out on the town!!!! Which I will write about later. Enjoy your turkey days!!

...Portland Day 2

L.A.Y.E.R.S......................................................

Kristy and I ventured around downtown yesterday, and below you will see me in boots, jeans, a tank top, sweater, sweater jacket, a jacket/coat, scarf, AND hat. (The hat was not an accessory, it was a necessity for the ears.)

BURRRR!!!!!!!!

I was still able to enjoy the sights once every appendage on my body was numb and I could no longer feel how cold I was. (This summer girl is being, partially, dramatic.) We went to the mall and spent some quality time in H&M. LOVE this store and it just opened in Portland. The Lord knew I was coming, so to show my thankfulness I did some purchasing. :)

From here we hit up 23rd Street in downtown for lunch and more wanderment. (We took the train downtown and the bus to 23rd Street...i heart public transportation...less stress!!) Once on 23rd Street we found Kornblatt's New York Style Delicatessen. At least that's what it said on my warm cup of Oregon Chai Tea. We also enjoyed FREE pickles!!!

It was a small establishment which made it fun to bond with our waiter. I think he enjoyed my sarcastic wit cuz I got a little wink when we left.

After lunch we walked up and down 23rd St. to look at all the kitschy shops and boutiques. Here are some photos of the areas.

Us with a horse...a sweet/crazy man ask if we wanted him to take our photo...we obviously said yes. He started to look through the view finder when we realized it was a digital camera. AWESOME. Next is one of the side streets...let's just say Portland is beautiful!!! Lastly, we have some rather intense pigs. They each have a dog tag!!

From here we went into a vintage thrift store where we found Joe from NKOTB (which I may or may not have gasped in excitement when I saw him) AND JC from Nsync. (The thumbs down is for Torie, our Backstreet Boys lover.)

After our celeb sighting we started to walk to the bus stop when we spotted some AWESOME desserts, so we stopped for a bite. We ended up stopping at Papa Hadyn which is known for their 35 desserts! TOTALLY worth the stop! White chocolate mint torte? Don't mind if we do!

We then ran to catch the bus into town (literally ran and wave the bus driver down.) Kristy took me to Powell's bookstore, which is actually the largest used bookstore in America. The bookstore is 3 or 4 stories, well organized, and PACKED with literature of your choice! It was awesome, but the best part was this tiny room on the top floor. It is enclosed and secured because it is filled with rare books and many first editions. It had a variety of classics, but my favorite was the geography shelf. There were 2 books of Navigation and Voyages from 1598-1600 that were seriously worth, $14,000. FOR REAL??? You can see them in the picture below in the middle.

We didn't get to spend much time at Powell's because we had a pre-Thanksgiving dinner to attend with some of Mark & Kristy's friends. It was fun meeting some of their crew out here. Sweet people with cute kids.

So, that's a brief-ish summary of Tuesday. I have no clue what we're doing today because of the weather, but I'll be sure and let you know!! Thanks for reading; stay warm. :)

...Portland Day 1

After a 4 hour flight of NO ONE talking to me (this NEVER happens), I landed in beautiful Portland, Oregon!! After we taxied I glanced over and saw this:

Which we all know I thought to myself, "That's a shitty job." I couldn't help but take the picture.

With that aside...my dear friends Kristy and Mark came and picked me up and took me exploring! We started out searching for a place to eat...which resulted in getting a little confused.

(They just moved here, so they're still getting to know the area.)

We stopped at this quaint pizza place where I tried to score us free ranch. Didn't happen, but the clerk appreciated my gumption. From lunch (which was rather delish!!) we headed downtown to do some exploring via foot.

I felt this one was a little welcome for me! :) A little party w/ some greenery...

I know...where's my class? Maybe in his...

After getting to know the locals a little we quickly wandered our FREEZING cold selves to Voodoo Doughnuts!! I've heard of this place from either the Travel channel or the Food Network...either way...I was excited to visit this infamous shop. Kristy and I split the ever-so-famous Voodoo shaped doughnut. He had a sad face because a pretzel stick was stabbing his frosted heart. Once you tore into him he was filled with a delightful raspberry filling. Mmm...mmm...good.

After Voodoo's we headed back to the car because we realized how cold we were. We pretty much just chilled and caught up the rest of the day. Mark and Kristy then took me to a pub where you get FREE beer samples!! Who isn't game for free beer??? I settled on a nice Ruby beer and got a tuna melt and salad for dinner. Super cute place, and I apparently got checked out by an older man. I think I'll be finding my suga-daddy here.

There have been weather-rumors of snow. Welp...I guess proof is in the pictures!!

Here's hoping the snow doesn't ruin our exploring extravaganza for the week!!!

...a jet plane in the near future

Guess who's going on a trip that requires scarves, gloves, and boots???

ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I leave in the morning for Portland, Oregon to visit my dear friend Kristy and her hubby Mark!

I have a slight suspicion it's gonna be a fun week with these two. I'll do my best to update you on my trip. My blog was really created to journal my travel adventures, so make sure you're sitting on the edge of your seats this week...and yes, that includes the potty.

...seasonal flavas!!!

YAY!!!!!! I got a new camera! My previous camera that I had for 5 years broke right before my summer trip. Like, the day before I left. Good timing right?? (I borrowed a friend's camera for my trip.) These past months I kept holding out that it would magically start working again, but finally gave up hope in it's miraculous resurrection. I'm excited because there have been many times I would say to myself, "Hmm...Tash...this would make an awesome photo opt for the blog. Oh wait...you don't have a camera." I would then hang my head low for the rest of the day. It has been a rough 6 months my dear readers. But not anymore!!!!!!! In honor of my robin-egg-blue camera....I present this post:

In keeping up with yesterday's post, I'd like to inform you all of my new [and exciting] find!!

The mint chocolate is much tastier and much LOWER in cals!! Enjoy your autumnal bliss!!!!

...autumn tolerance

Hello Hello!!

So, I struggle with keeping up with my blog because I don't feel like much has happened lately, and I just don't enjoy this season. BUT...I just realized is NOT true!

Halloween Weekend:

I dressed up as a turtle for a friend's party that Friday. (Pictures were taken, but have not been posted via the FB. SORRY!!) The trick about this costume was the costume was designed for a dog. YUP!! It was either $50 for an adult's bee costume or $12 for a dog's turtle costume.

I then left early Saturday morning to catch my flight to Corpus Christi! Ashlee, Erin (Becca's cousin), and I flew down for Becca's mom's wedding. We also got to see Becca's baby bump!!! :)

We had a great flight and was greated by Ozzie (Becca's awesome husbano)

(Here is a pre-wedding pic of me, Becca w/ bump, Ashlee, and Erin)

Last Weekend, Nov 6th, was a celebration for my sweet roomie, Mary. We had an amazing party for her bday!! Click here for her blog post of our backyard transformation!!!!

This time of year isn't really my favorite, and it is mostly because it is cold. If you know anything about me you know I love my sunshine and triple degree weather. (I know I'm crazy) Last weekend and, now, today I have spent a lot of time outside and realized how BEAUTIFUL it is!!! So here are some reasons I will do my best to embrace and love this season.

1. Our kickass backyard, refer to Mary's post for more pictures.

2. Mary's new FIRE PIT!!!!! Fire pits make any cold night bearable.

3. New Boots!!

4. The perfect accessories! Shades, scarves, and SUNSHINE!!!

Dear Fall Season...I will accept thee, as long as you promise to not get below 50 degrees.

Dear Winter...my toes are already turning blue at the thought of you.